Birthdays, Tributes and Fundraisers

Frankie Manning loved to party– as long as there was great swing music and Lindy hopping. We all love to party. What a wonderful way to pay tribute to Frankie and raise funds for the programs that carry on his mission: “spreading the joy of Lindy hop.”

The best excuse of all for a party is Frankie’s birthday on May 26th. When Frankie was alive he thrilled us all by dancing with as many partners as his years. Since his passing, birthday celebrations all over the world have brought attention to Frankie’s legacy while supporting his programs.

Read Rusty Frank’s Tips for a Successful Fundraiser:

Fundraising in the Lindy Hop World

It’s Easy!

by Rusty Frank

Over the past decade I have hosted everything from small fundraisers to big fundraisers at my swing dance club, and here’s what I’ve learned: Lindy Hoppers are an extremely giving community of people! So my advice to you about philanthropic work is – Do It!

You’ll be amazed how many people will jump up to help you. I’m convinced that people really want to do good, they just need someone to give them “permission” to do it. It’s also great for some of the shy-er people, as it gives them something organized that they can do and helps socialize them into the group.

Everything I’ve done has worked:

Passing the Hat

Taxi Dancers (pay x-amount to dance with hotshot dancers from the community): We just raised $300 in an hour with only 40 people at my club, at $3/dance (or $10/four dances)

Bake Sale:

Always a hit!

Silent Auction:

When the Haiti earthquake hit, I organized the “Hop for Haiti,” and I started with my normal in-club fundraiser. But soon, I got emails and calls from other clubs wanting to join the effort… and pretty soon there were fourteen Hop for Haiti’s around the world. It was amazing!!!!

So as I wrote at the beginning, it’s easy, do it!

And may I conclude by saying that we get so much from swing dancing. It’s a joy to give back to help make the world a better place through doing what we love doing. It also helps our community grow stronger.